Singapore SlingThe Curse of Singapore Sling (Stinky Records)By: Scott D. LewisOf course, as we all learned in high school geography class, Iceland was named as such in order to fool people into not flocking to the gorgeous island (the same trick was used in reverse on Greenland). Well, if Iceland keeps producing bands as interesting as Singapore Sling, the secret of its many splendors is really going to be out of the bag. On their ten-tempting-tracks debut, Singapore Sling pur?es the best elements of shoegazer rock, the British Invasion, stateside psychedelia, Sonic Youth, garage-band glory, the Stooges and the Velvet Underground. And they do it very, very well. Comprised of three guitars and drums, Singapore Sling's sound is packed full of good ol' electric guitar, but, through careful tuning and use of effects, the layers of guitars are distinct and are never overpowering. The album bristles to life with a chunkier version of the intro to Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen," then gently explodes into a lovely molten mess of distorted guitars and smeared, sultry-man vocals. Then, on the following "Summer Garden," they dole out a lazy little gem of psychedelic beach-pop without apparent effort. "Midnight" slinks along all spooky and sexy while some cooing female vocals are folded into the drifting and dreamy "No Soul Man." The sonic blessing that is The Curse of Singapore Sling ends with a stunning, psilocybin-surf version of the Standells' 1965 garage-rock milestone, "Dirty Water." Singapore Sling will be touring throughout the US at the end of October through mid-November. Go make some amazing new Icelandic friends.